cicadas

At first I thought that our neighbor's hot tub was on the fritz. Then I thought perhaps the strip-mine over the ridge had gotten some new equipment.

But, no. The low droning, whirring sound that permeates my entire neighborhood has a natural source -- the 17 year hatching of the cicadas or locusts [note: circadas are not locusts, they were mislabled that by the early European settlers]. John says he's seen some up close when he goes to Fish Pond Lake to run. So far, I've only heard them. From a distance it sounds different than what I remember from childhood -- more electrical than natural.